Balaho Effect
by Oledom
Summary: In the Year 2142, Unggoy explorers on Buwan discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. They called it the greatest discovery in Unggoy history The civilizations of the galaxy call it. Mass Effect
1. The Rising

The Early Era

The early years of the Unggoy's exploration was largely peaceful, now freed from the dangerous weathers of their homeworld, they colonized the nearby methane rich worlds of Tala, most of them had far calmer weather than Balaho and therefore safer to live on while starships were built in orbit.

While exploring the edges of the system, a Unggoy exploration team discovered a large object floating in space, the giant key shaped object emitted eezo traces, deciphered Prothean texts from the outpost refers to them as Mass Relays and was an FTL Device capable of reaching hundreds of light years. Using the instructions from the ship, they opened the Relay and sent a ship to the other side. There, they ended in another system, hundreds of light-years away from their home and their screens show several more relays, inactive.

However, despite the galaxy seemingly for the taking, their infrastructure was insufficient, they barely had a hundred ships and only ten could actually be called warships, despite vocal protests, the exploration was temporarily halted and more ships were made while eezo was mined from the belt in great quantities. The population in the colonized worlds exploded, as Geronticide became less necessary and families laid record clutches while advances in technology dropped infant mortality to only 1%.

After two decades of relentless construction, the era of exploration has begun, opening relay after relay, they began settling the worlds near it. Despite being merely forty worlds under their hands, with five of them garden worlds, all of them were heavily settled and mined for precious minerals and ores, two of those worlds were eezo rich and shipbuilding industries expanded. In less than three decades, the population exploded up to 3.9 billion from the small 320 million when the ruins were found.

Trade flourished and worlds became rich, with Mass Effect-domed cities filled with a methane atmosphere a common sight while farms filled dotted the worlds to feed the massive populations.

During this era, the Unggoy formed the Commonwealth as their central government. With every representative sent from every world, they convened on matters of the state.

One of the strong points was the size of the fleet, ever since the discovery of the facility, the Unggoy had been building up a major naval fleet just in case of an encounter with an unknown species. With nearly three fleets, largely composed of frigates and the new built cruisers, many believe that enough military starships was built. Between building infastructure on the worlds, mining and additional civilian maritime, the military slowly dried out of funds as the relatively non-violent and mercantile culture of their race trumps over increased militarization against phantom threats.

For a while, the Unggoy were now in a golden age, free from the terrible chains of their world and allowing them to truly flourish as an Interstellar Civilization.

Fate, however, had another plan.

* * *

Codex: Unggoy

 _Hailing from the Methane-rich world of Balaho in the Tala System, the Unggoy are a race of bipedal (occasionally quadrupedal) vertebrates. A fast breeding species, they are similar in nature to arthropods though different in terms of physiology._

 _They are on average five feet tall when standing on two legs but only four feet when using all limbs, and are poor combatants but makes up with surprising strength for their size. Although they are capable of walking with their two legs, using their forearms gives additional bursts of speed. While carrying their weapons, they do so by firing with one hand and moving with three limbs or using both making their mobility slower but much more accurate. The former is oftenly used by basic troops armed with fast firing submachine guns while heavier weapons such as Machine Guns, Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers for the Latter._

 _Their skin is covered by a thick exoskeleton, that makes them highly resistant to blunt trauma and shockwaves, but it does not protect from gunshots._

 _Their blood is colored blue, due to the methane based proteins in the blood as well as high-copper content. When spilled, it is oftenly bio-luminescent and mildly flammable._

 _Most Unggoy have flat-three toed feet with another toe in the back of their feet, though others may have four toes in front. They have large olfactories, giving them an amazing sense of smell while sight and hearing are average on galactic standard._

 _Unggoy breed prodigiously, with nearly 40 eggs in a six month incubation period before laying. The eggs have different color patterns based on genders, with patterns of black, blue, violet and gray stripes for male eggs and yellow, red, pink and orange for females._

 _Before leaving their homeworld, Geronticide was necessary with only three or four eggs allowed to mature to prevent further scarcity of food and other resources in Balaho's winters. Even then, death toll was enormously high, with corpses of plague victims and hunger routinely burned to prevent spread of diseases._

 _Today, it is no longer necessary, with whole clutches raised, but all families must provide a large number of their eggs (10 in peacetime and 20 in wartime) to the military in order to prevent overpopulation and ensure a steady stream of recruits in the armed forces. Almost all of the eggs given are male, with females being levied only if a whole clutch is given._

 _Many in Citadel Space, with the exception of the Turians, are appalled by this but the Unggoy simply shrug and tell them that it is better than killing children._

 _In theory, a Unggoy female can become pregnant twice a year and allow their population to expand exponentially. In practice, there is usually a lapse of five years or more due to most parents preferring to have more children only when the last batch had matured._

 _The average lifespan of a Unggoy is around fifty years, with some extending up to sixty ir seventy via medical treatments._

 _Their growth and maturity rate is also among the fastest in the galaxy, alongside Salarians and Vorcha, Unggoy takes around four years before being fully matured and sexual maturity is at three years. This makes overpopulation a real problem if unchecked and to prevent this, the populace a newly founded colony is not allowed to breed for an entire decade, both to accommodate more coming from the overpopulated Core Worlds and prevent stretching resources delivered from other worlds until the colony is self-sufficient. Punishment is taking the clutch away from the parents while they are banished from the colony._

 _Unggoy are a very social race, more so than any other known species. Whole communities raising children is common and the concept of individual housing is seen as eccentric at best. This means, than morale is dependent on numbers and with the exception of highly trained operatives trained to handle working alone, mean that Unggoy attack comes in droves._


	2. Kig-Yar Wars

The First War  
war that would soon change the very soul of the Unggoy did not begin with a single spark.

It began with numerous raids in the edge of the settled space, trade ships, laden with food, supplies and crew were attacked. The Cargo and the crew were taken but the ships were simply abandoned their empty husk floating in the void. The investigators were puzzled by the behavior, why did the attackers left the ship despite being both operable and intact? Most pirates would have taken the ships and added guns into it, although piracy was rare for the Unggoy due to their peaceful nature, some were still greedy enough to turn to raiding merchant ships, however most were simply hunted and defeated as almost all of their ships are barely spaceworthy.

Unknown to the Unggoy, the enemy they seek was not one of their own.

The Kig-Yar were a bird-like species that hailed from the world of Eayn, a race with a culture of piracy and trade, they have been into the stars three centuries earlier than the children of Balaho. They thrived in the Terminus Systems, where they struck with leisure against undefended worlds and merchant ships and with much greater difficulty against the council worlds guarded by Turian Fleets.

Forging a business partnership with the Batarian Hegemony, the Kig-Yar became privateers and mercenaries of unrivaled skill and sold numerous types of slaves captured all around the galaxy. Using both Kig-Yar and Batarian made ships, their ripper fleets struck dread at numerous worlds, taking young and old and selling them to dark fates.

The Unggoy were discovered by a Kig-Yar scouting fleet, they first struck to obtain a few samples and their use in slave markets. Attacking the primitive ships, they made off with crew and had them dissected to know their potential. The Unggoy were similar to the Volus, short, stocky build and used suits to breathe, they were very strong despite their small size and bred rapidly.

With the Asari and Salarian slaves too fragile, Turians rare and expensive for menial work and the unrest of the lower castes at the limits of what can be enslaved, there was a need for a highly capable and disposable workforce. After a High-Caste member read about the Kig-Yar's newest product, he immediately ordered several more samples to see their viability as workers.

More attacks came to the fledgeling Nation and soon, the nature of their true enemy became apparent. Realizing that they are now truly fighting an alien force, additional keels were laid while worlds were patrolled. In the meantime, defenses were built and worlds garrisoned, while academies and training camps for soldiers were opened./p

The Unggoy attempted to settle for a diplomatic solution, sending numerous diplomats in an attempt to broker a ceasefire using captured translation data from the enemy, as most of the Kig-Yar were pirates an saw the Unggoy as inferior, they saw no reason to obey diplomatic immunity and simply captured or blasted such ships.

Offensives were carried out, but Kig-Yar ships were much more advanced than the latest Unggoy ships and casualties were extremely heavy. On average, it took five frigates to destroy a single one and much worse on the ground, where a 50 to 1 casualty rate as the Kig-Yar were simply better fighters and possess much more advanced equipment than the Unggoy, who still depended on Chemical-propelled firearms.

Yet all was not lost, the Unggoy were able to capture equipment and ships despite massive losses, these were taken to the Home System to be studied and reversed engineered for further study. With their robust reproduction system made replacing losses relatively.

Aside from studying the Kig-Yar ships and slowly adopting their weaponry and technology, a new type of FTL was discovered, Slipspace Technology.

Slipspace was much slower than ME FTL, with speeds of up to three light years in a single day in contrast to Eezo Travel which goes from eighteen to twentyfive in a day. But it did not use a rare element, allowing more eezo to be in the hands of the military without sacrificing civilian trade and Slipspace travel is unlimited so long as supplies hold, unlike ME where a discharge site is needed due to the fact that most static charge and heat is disposed at another dimension, at the expense of speed.

Large shipyards churned ships upon ships, Frigates and Cruisers were most of them, while hundreds of thousands of sailors trained. Due to the unburdened neural pathways of the Unggoy, learning was significantly faster and there was never a shortage of skilled shipcrews. Ships on the other hand, are rarer, combined with the enormous attrition rates and rarity of eezo means that new methods of combat, such as the use of fighter swarms and suicide craft were common, this infuriated the Kig-Yar, whose response became more and more brutal to the prisoners captured and butchered whole populations out of spite.

Another was the invention of Battle Riders, the ships lack FTL Drives, crew compartments and cargo bays, instead replacing them with more weaponry and ammunition with only the bridge intact and the ship propelled by additional Fusion Torches, and FTL Tugs, giant, kilometer long vessels with two eezo cores, designed to 'tug' Battle Riders to battle, only the bridge is actually livable, with the remaining composed of cranes and scaffoldings where the Battle Riders attach

The first testing of this concept happened on the Battle of Zados in 2176, a large mining Colony that was besieged by a fleet of twenty Kig-Yar pirate ships, suddenly, five FTL Tugs, eighteen frigates and six cruisers arrived on the planet, the battle riders broke off the tugs and drove into the fray while the tug retreated.

Faced with twice their numbers, the Kig-Yar attempted to retreat but was swiftly cut-off, however, they still believed of the ships technological superiority and engaged the approaching Battle Rider Cruisers, although far less maneuverable and incapable of FTL than an eezo equipped ship, the Battleriders were much faster, heavier armed and more protected than the pirate ships. The thirteen frigates, six cruisers and a converted merchant ship stood no chance against fifty cruiser-sized ships and were wiped out with only four losses to the battlerider

After 30 years of catching up, the Unggoy finally had ships capable of going toe to toe with the Kig-Yar Ships, with new designs produced, they now had an equal advantage in ships and an even greater number of skilled pilots and ships. As more and more 'privateers' and 'independents' died under the guns and ships of the Children of Balaho, so does the enemy begin to realize the giants they have angered.

* * *

Codex: Battle Riders

 _With the horrendous attrition rate of ships during the first decades of the Kig-Yar War, the large number of ships lost per combat had caused the Unggoy High Command to seek alternate methods, while the use of strikecraft was a major equalizer despite the large number of casualties. However, to battle larger ships would require more strikecraft and therefore building more vulnerable carriers to refuel and rearm them._

 _To solve this, a new type of vessel was required, capable of going toe to toe with the vessels of the Kig-Yar without sacrificing the precious eezo used to fuel ships and capable of mounting much more weapons without too much cost._

 _The solution came with the invention of Battle Riders, essentially a much larger strikecraft based from the chassis of frigates and cruisers, Battle riders are nothing more than bridges with thick armor, numerous guns and oversized thrusters. Most systems such as mass effect cores, crew quarters, cargo bays and medical facilities are removed. Requiring at maximum, less than 50 crews for the largest types, far less than a standard Cruiser or frigate which is at hundreds if not thousands of crew each._

 _Aside from the lesser amount of crew, Battleriders are also much cheaper to produce, a cruiser type Battlerider is only slightly more expensive than a Frigate while being significantly larger, carrying more weapons and armor._

 _These were seen as the solution to the problem of attrition, as a single Battlerider will always outperform its FTL capable-ship of the same class in fighting other ships. Since their invention, the Battleriders had proven the effectiveness of their concept in war._

 _Battleriders come in many sizes and variants, each are named after their uses and sizes._

 _The most common type of Battlerider are Line Riders, cruiser sized vessels designed to fight alongside ships during engagements. Possessing an average of two to three spinal cannons, they are commonly deployed on FTL Tugs and are used as a force multiplier, a variant made is called Torpedo Rider the spinal cannons are replaced with numerous torpedo launch tubes and ammo storage._

 _Another is the Shield Rider, possessing the same length as a cruiser, it removes the spinal cannon and attaches a large, armored prow thicker than a Dreadnought's main armor to protect itself from enemy fire. This 'Hammerhead' is used to bludgeon itself towards enemy lines while broadside cannons rip anyone attempting to flank, it is also equipped with a signal spoofer which mimics the signal of a Dreadnought and often used to divert fire away from more important ships._

 _Most Frigate-sized battleriders went out of style, as strikecraft are cheaper and much faster to build. Nonetheless, there are two still in service. One is the Interceptor Rider, it lacks any form of weaponry, instead is filled with Numerous GARDIAN Array to intercept torpedoes and strikecraft. The last is the Incursion Frigate, armed with dozens of small cannons and missiles aiming downward, it is designed to support planetary invasions without using FTL Capable Frigates and risking them against planetary cannons._

* * *

Codex: FTL Tugs

 _With the invention and deployment of Battleriders, there was a pressing need for a specialized vessel capable of delivering them into combat as attaching them towards ships such as Dreadnoughts and Battlecruisers is both inefficient and dangerous, with only a few capable of being carried despite Unggoy Naval Doctrine calling for mass deployment._

 _The FTL Tug originated as a modular cargo transport, capable of carrying numerous cargo pods via cradles. Despite being a kilometer-long ship, it only requires a small amount of crew as most of habitation is in the bridge. The cradles are positioned in a circular pattern around the tug, in order to save space and ensure easy detachment._

 _Quickly seeing its potential, the military created their own variants, now made to attach battleriders of Cruiser and Frigate size, unlike the civilian versions that depend of slipspace travel, it is faster and more maneuverable due to the Dreadnought scale Eezo Core at the center of the ship. Capable of carrying 10 Cruiser Riders or 20 Frigate Riders, it allows mass deployment of Battleriders in combat and quite cheap to produce as well, allowing many to be built._

 _Aside from carrying battleriders, another purpose is using it as a mobile strikecraft platform when Flight Pods are attached. Flight pods are specialized modular hangars designed to deploy fightercraft from a non-carrier vessel. Originally designed to increase the number of squadrons to defend Dreadnoughts and heavy ships, each pod is capable of carrying thirty to fifty strikecraft depending on the model and enough facilities for refueling and rearmament. Each flight pod is around five hundred meters in length and one hundred meters in height, with up to ten launching tubes for the fighters and a landing bay on the portside._

 _Flight pods tailored for FTL Tugs on the other hand, carries a larger amount of fighters, with eighty to one-hundred fighters per pod. In exchange however, these Flight pods lack most facilities normally found on a carrier, with the exception of refueling and rearmament. Due to this, only light fighters are housed in the pods, their design and Unggoy Doctrine states their use of overwhelming numbers as well as their long flight time and minimal ammunition requirements._


	3. Days of Vengeance I

With a large number of Unggoy caught, the slave markets of the Terminus and the Hegemony were quickly filled, while valued for their strength and large numbers, the Methane tanks that they breathe made them expensive to support in the long run, most of the captured were simply worked until the tanks were emptied and then shot before burned.

The Batarians, in particular were appreciative of the Unggoy's strength and somewhat cowardly nature as rebellions were quite few, furthermore, the Methane that they breathe became an incentive against sabotage as all the slave masters had to do was threaten the supply of their very own breath to make them fall in line.

With their natural strength and robustness, the Unggoy became the primary workers in hazardous jobs, this freed several Batarian Slaves from labor and despite the massive casualties from dangerous equipment and lack of safety concerns in favor of efficiency, their sheer numbers makes up for it.

With the demand for more Unggoy Slaves in production, some began to support the idea of actually conquering the Unggoy. Eventually, it was decided not to as it is cheaper and more cost-effective to buy from the Kig-Yar and independents.

As more and more Batarian Slaves were freed from hazard work without actual effect in production, the Hegemony began reconciling with the Citadel while military and civilian production increased, the unrest of the lower castes were on an all-time low and the military forces needed to guard them were diverted to guarding Unggoy. Pirate raids in Citadel Space dried up as the demand for menial slaves were reduced, and the Batarians increasingly became a buffer against the Terminus Systems and were showered with economic concessions and benefits, while 'anti-pirate' raids 'rescued' slaves from captivity reduced resentment in Council Space towards the Hegemony.

The Council, believing the Unggoy were nothing more than a minor race the Hegemony had already conquered .thought nothing of them. A fact that will soon bite them in the future.

* * *

The Matriarchy were not blind to the development, even as more and more ships either vanish or limp back into port, they knew that the race they had been exploiting had grown far more than expectations. Hundreds of starships, tens of thousands of strikecraft and millions of soldiers were coming, a threat unrivaled in Kig-Yar History.

Realizing that they will now be fighting for the very survival of their race, the Matriarchy ordered all pirate fleets home, bolstering their long forgotten planetary defenses and hiring Mercenary ships to raid Unggoy worlds without telling them the true strength of the enemy, resulting in them getting wiped out piecemeal. Factory munitions, shipyards and naval academies were opened for the first time in centuries to hastily train young Kig-Yar chicks into the art of war in hopes of creating a naval fleet strong enough to contest the Unggoy Juggernaut.

The Hegemony, of course, were not blind to the events happening in Eayn, as a show of solidarity as well as to preserve a useful and highly skilled proxy, the Batarians hired raider fleets to attack the Unggoy while SIU were deployed in support, this allowed the Matriarchy to get a reprieve and repair their damaged fleets and make new ones. Like the Kig-Yar before them, the Unggoy fleets exterminated the Batarian raiders and allowing more advanced technology to fall to their hands to reverse engineer. With slow, gradual advance, wiping out independent pirate bases and taking heavy casualties in ground assaults.

The first attack on the Kig-Yar Borders fell on the colony of Eiza, a large tropical colony that doubles as a large resort for many rich clients all over the Terminus and a major colony of the Kig-Yar, protected by three asteroid monitors and hundreds of weapons satellites that is capable of severely damaging a whole fleet with ease. To begin the assault, the Unggoy fleet entered outside the range of orbital defenses. While the planet going on alert, Carriers and FTL Tugs with flight pods deployed nearly 2000 light and heavy fighters and raced towards the defense stations while others deployed Battle Riders outside the weapons range. The remaining ships began blockading the system and destroyed any Batarian and Kig-Yar vessels still in the system while the rest stood watch on the Relay on the end of the system for any reinforcements.

Then all of the Defense Stations and satellites fell within six minutes, with no more opposition, the Unggoy began landing forces into the planet. They overwhelmed the guarding mercenaries and killed all the Kig-Yar and Batarians on the planet, interestingly they also found a new race.

Due to Eiza's status as a planetary resort, a large number of Asari Slaves were on the planet, most of them were taken on their early years and grew up as slaves, oftenly used to entertain visitors. With the invasion of the Unggoy, many of the Asari were suddenly freed by a mysterious race as if sent by the Goddess, despite their hilariously short, stocky build. The Unggoy at the same time, although were confused by these new beings, quickly understood what they were due to the collars in their necks.

One of the maidens decided to meld with the Unggoy, this alarmed their compatriots and began pointing their guns at the group of Asari in front of them, before pulling trigger however, the melded Unggoy quickly recovered and ordered them to stand down. With the Language Barrier removed, the Asari requested a ship that would allow them to go home, the Unggoy simply pointed at the undamaged spaceport before leaving. It would be the last meeting between Asari and Unggoy, until the conclusion of the Relay War.

With virtually no resistance in the planet, the Unggoy began killing all of the Kig-Yar that lived in the world for retribution against three decades of Brutal War and slavery, all eggs and chicks were burned to the while the Kig-Yar were simply shot. The Purge of Eiza lasted three days, which ended with the Kig-Yar population of 19 million virtually wiped out.

Yet this was only the Beginning, the system was used as a staging ground, the planets hangar were filled with strikecraft and shuttles while the Planets Warehouses were used to store food, breathing tanks, weaponry and spare parts. Additional supplies and fuel reserves were stored while command centers and barracks for the crew were constructed by the Engineers.

The Kig-Yar had no intentions of simply ceding the system to the invaders, with a clear enemy, the Children of Eayn set aside their differences. Raiders from all over the Terminus and Traverse flocked to their home systems, bearing highly trained crews and notorious Kig-Yar Pirates, determined to protect the survival of their race.

The First Counterattack came at 2198 BE (Balaho Era), thirteen days after the Unggoy conquered Eiza, a flood pirate ships poured from the Relay, numbering nearly 2000 ships, the majority are Batarian and Turian-made and crewed by crews whose whole lives were spent on pirate raids. Most of them were Frigates with a sprinkling of Cruisers and armed Freighters , with nearly a third as old as the Krogan Rebellions when first flew. Arrayed against them were 700 Unggoy ships, 300 Frigates, 250 Cruisers, 100 Carriers, 50 Battlecruisers and six Dreadnoughts alongside armed supply ships, 40 Rider Cruisers and nearly 2000 strikecraft. Balancing this is the fact that most of them are among the most modern and are led by one of the greatest Unggoy Naval Commanders, Admiral Fafada da Rivu. By contrast, despite their newfound unity, the Kig-Yar Fleet is completely disorganized, refusing to adhere to a single commander, each captain prefers to follow their own plans, resulting in an disorganized mess.

The Admiral ordered the fighters and Battleriders forward to intercept the mass of ships, while Frigates formed a wall, the larger ships began pouring fire behind this line. With the larger ships focusing on the largest vessels, the strikecraft fell upon the frigates, raining missiles and tearing their old hulls apart. The Battleriders had also closed in their distance and engaged what few ships survived the fighter swarm. Due to their thicker armor, much larger amount of guns and powerful shields, the ships simply swatted the opposing force. Not only are their ships old, tactics disorganized and lacking coordination at all, with many of them forcing their way to the far away Unggoy Line or attacking the Rider Cruisers with frigate guns and completely ignoring the Fighters that caused heavy casualties to them.

Within less than 70 minutes, virtually the wholeKig-Yar fleet was wiped out to the last, less than eighteen vessels were able to escape and report what would happen to the Matriarchy.

At last, the first step of the Unggoy towards revenge is complete.

* * *

Codex: Carriers

 _Although dedicated fighter carrying vessels have been long theorized in many circles, there was minimal interest in experimentation or actual implementation as the Dreadnought is seen as they premier symbol of naval might. With the exception of the Krogan, who converted a few captured merchant vessels to carrying fighters, there were no serious attempts in building one._

 _The Unggoy showed that not only this is practical, but it gave a level of tactical flexibility not found in most flotillas._

 _There are two types of Carriers in service, each with different roles and the type of strikecraft they carry._

 _Cruiser Carriers are the most commonly seen, with a capacity of eighty fighters each. Usually, they are loaded with a mix of medium fighters and bombers to allow flexibility when dealing with ships of different size. Slightly larger than most mainline cruisers, they are much more fragile due to being hollow and possess enough supplies for a single patrol fleet in addition to the ones carried in the cargo bays, greatly increasing operating time._

 _The Fleet Carrier is the much larger variant, with a carrying capacity of nearly three hundred strikecraft, the majority of which are bombers and medium fighters. This is the most protected vessels in a fleet, even more so than a dreadnought as they are fragile for their size, possess rotary frigate scale cannons and strips of GARDIAN Lasers for defense. Due to lack of restrictions, there are no limitations of Carrier numbers that can be built, despite many calling of its inclusion in the Treaty of Farixen._


	4. Days of Vengeance II

With the defeat of their most experienced crews and a majority of their strength, the Kig-Yar Matriarchs were now in full panic, with no true navy to defend themselves and the younglings training in the newly established naval academies, there was absolutely no way to stop the onslaught of their enemy.

Reluctantly, they began the evacuation of the planet, with the youngest females given priority in order for the Kig-Yar to survive, using Freighters captured from raids, they saved what materiel they could while every weapons were stripped and installed to the nearby asteroids in hopes of slowing down the enemy.

Credits were pooled by several clans, hard earned cash from plundering merchant ships, selling countless lives into slavery and fighting in corporate wars as mercenaries, and were used to buy additional ships, weapons and hire whoever mercenaries they can afford.

Fortunately for them, the Unggoy were advancing slower than they ever imagined, thanks to capturing several star charts and maps at Eiza, they were able to locate all of the systems held by the Kig-Yar and the Relays to reach them. The Kig-Yar homeworld was also located, but fearing reinforcements from the other planets should they attack without first defeating these worlds.

Although unknown at the time, the Kig-Yar never had a navy to begin with and simply depended on their pirate crews to defend their worlds, would the Unggoy had known this fact, they would have dashed towards Eayn and the Kig-Yar race will be no more.

Instead, the Matriarchy simply abandoned its colonies and concentrated its defenses onto the Home System, nearly every asteroid on space was armed with either missiles or MACs, mines were laid on the path with the lightest amount of space rocks and ambush points were plotted and ships hiding in nearby rocks would spring and destroy them.

Most of the young females , younglings and eggs that were evacuated on the Planet Mulwin, to prevent the Unggoy from finding the planet, only a handful of crews were told of its location, with most ships guided by VI Navigation and their records wiped before returning to Eayn for another pick-up. Before the hammer fell, the Kig-Yar were able to evacuate nearly 20 million, enough for the race to rebuild itself.

The Colonies of Kaelarot and Valyanop were the first to fall, having absolutely no defenses and with most of the skilled shipcrews dead in the Eiza System, they fell shortly afterward and like its sister colony, the population was purged. The only colonies that were able to fight back was T'vao and Ibie'sh, home to the T'vaoans and Ibie'shan, genetic offshoots of the Kig-Yar, due to the racial paranoia of the Ruuth against them as well as interracial violence which made them paranoid and maintained their own homefleets should the Ruuthians finish them. Using hit and run tactics, the forces of these two colonies inflicted a good amount of damage before retreating or being destroyed. It also had the effect of further slowing down the Unggoy offensive, ironically buying more time for their hated cousins at Eayn to survive.

However, in the end it was for naught, the slow but inevitable advance of the Unggoy armada reached the two colonies and destroyed the meager opposition that these colonies offered. Rather than land in the planet, the Unggoy simply bombed all the settlements from orbit then concentrating their fire on volcanoes and glaciers, rendering the worlds lifeless before moving on.

At last, after half a year of destroying the Kig-Yar Colonies, the Unggoy were at last crossed the Relay to the Y'Deio System, nearly four thousand ships prepared to assault Eayn and put an end to the Kig-Yar menace once and for all. Opposing them were 200 Frigates, most of them now obsolete even by Unggoy Standards, crewed by least experienced captains and the survivors of the Eiza Battle.

Balancing this is the fact that the Kig-Yar will be fighting in their home turf, every chokepoint they fortified, every space rock armed and what ships that is not armed is loaded with bombs for suicide attack.

The Unggoy were not blind to the advantages of their enemy, to negate this, they brought a third of their strikecraft and half of all built Battleriders. Without preamble, spacefighters bearing bombs and missiles streaked out of their Hangars into the enemy sights while Cruiser riders accelerated towards the morass that is the Y'Deio Asteroid Fields, which is unusually dense and stretches half the whole system.

While all Cruisers and Dreadnoughts stayed at the edge of the system, advancing slowly while laying down support fire. The strikecraft and Battleriders meanwhile fought inside the asteroid fields, destroying all of the armed spacerocks and tripping ambush points, Cruiser Riders in particular were quickly singled out for their immense durability and took the brunt of most asteroid guns and suicide attacks while fighters were invaluable in sniffing out hidden ships and kamikaze shuttles.

Despite the enormous losses in strikecraft and Battleriders, the Unggoy fleet was successful in their breakthrough towards Eayn, with them approaching the planet in less than thirty minutes. Not waiting for them to take fire from the planetary cannons, the Unggoy ships began firing towards the planet. With such a large target infront of them, it was impossible to miss, most of the shots landed towards the oceans and empty landmass, causing enormous casualties. While the fleet bombarded the planet, other ships began towing every asteroid of appropriate size to Eayn, for a week the Unggoy rained asteroid strikes on the planet until no life remained.

A fitting revenge against their hated enemy.

Afterwards, the Unggoy fleet began heading home, confident that their war has ended at last and peace will now reign for their kind.

* * *

Codex: Unggoy Egg Levy

 _A form of conscription practiced today by the Unggoy Commonwealth. Egg Levying is a law that states that per every clutch laid, apart of it must be given to the military to bolster their military strength and have a force capable of fighting against invader. Seen as an alternative to Geronticide, it allows the military to replenish lost numbers to pirate hunting operations as well as preparation in a future war against the Hegemony (or against the Citadel Council) without much public backlash._

 _Usually, only ten eggs are taken in the clutch, a majority of them are males. In cases of emergencies or a prelude to war, this number is doubled and families are encouraged to breed more eggs._

 _In average, of the ten eggs levied from a family, two are sent into the infantry, two into the fighter arm, one in the navy, one in the armored divisions, two in the biotic program and another in the special forces training programs._

 _In theory, A levied Unggoy is retired after thirty years of service, allowed to choose what world will they live and paid for their three decades of service. In reality,the sheer number of casualties and attrition rates, as well as the simple fact that the few who survived their service has little knowledge in the Civilian world, prefers to simply continue their military career._

* * *

Codex: Slipspace FTL

 _A new type of FTL discovered by the Unggoy, Slipspace travel was the first type of faster-than-light that does not use Element Zero. It is done by creating a rift in reality towards a dimension known as slipspace, where the laws of physics are much more different, allowing that realm to be used as a shortcut and travelling between different regions in a reasonable time._

 _The engine allows travel into the large relay deadzones, as the limitations of Slipspace is governed by supplies, power generation and engine condition._

 _Due to being far more complex and harder to repair than a Mass Effect Drive, the Slipspace had been largely phased out with the exception of the Biggest ships, where putting a Eezo Core is both expensive and impractical such as sleeper Colony Ships and Ore Haulers._

 _The contact with the Citadel Council and subsequent ban on opening dormant Mass Relays brought new hope to slipspace advocates, long derided as an unstable and impractical form of travel, new research groups were established by the Commonwealth and Salarian Union regarding this type of FTL. Relay Dead Zones can now be explored although reaching them is much slower than before, nonetheless many are optimistic about the future of slipspace as attention and research towards it surges further._


	5. Lull

With the fall of the Y'Deio System and the evacuation of the Kig-Yar from Eayn, victory was all but assured for the Unggoy Commonwealth. The retreat from Kig-Yar Space was complete and all their worlds were bombed until left uninhabitable and the remaining Relays to their space mined and guarded.

In the aftermath, the Unggoy Commonwealth entered an era of prosperity, new worlds were colonized and the industries once used in war were now making products in peace. Huge habdomes tailored to their biology were built in worlds that were settled, but the planets similar to Balaho remain only in the Home System.

Nonetheless, the military was expanded, learning from the Kig-Yar War, nearly 10% of the budget was dedicated to defense. Creating a force capable of defending the Unggoy Worlds from anything that would attack them, while building more planetary defenses for security.

As a rule, no Mass Relay is allowed to be opened without a flotilla of ships for defense.

Despite this, the expansion of the Unggoy continued unabated, after nearly ten years since the Kig-Yar War, another world with a Methane atmosphere was discovered, named Paraiso for its lush jungles and mild temperature, the Unggoy began building up the planet to accommodate the large number of people that will pour from the overpopulated habdomes in other planets. As the planet is bound to grow larger and more populated than any others, an entire fleet was stationed to protect it while several defense stations were in orbit for additional position.

Six years later, another planet like Balaho was found, named Sianse after its hot temperatures. Like Paraiso before it, the Commonwealth invested significant amount of funds into the planet and millions more Unggoy made Sianse their home. While scouting the system, they discovered another mass relay, not just a secondary relay they had encountered previously, but a much larger Primary Relay. Realizing that this might be the key for them to open new systems and fears of another alien force attacking their worlds, Sianse's defenses were built in haste and it is planned in the future that it would have the same number of defensive stations as the Home System.

Despite its distance from a potentially dangerous relay and unexplored space, Unggoy flooded the system in big numbers. Reaching nine digits in less than two years, with construction barely keeping up with the influx of population, it became the center of population in the outer rim of Commonwealth space.

While Sianse is continuing construction and more people flocked to this new Eden, a raging debate is happening at the highest levels of the government, on whether or not to open the dormant relay to further expand their territory or to simply maximize the use of the planets under their possession.

Both sides had good points, the Unggoy infrastructure was becoming strained and overspending was rampant with a need to tone down the founding of new colonies and build up the worlds under their control and expand the fleets for defense. However, the continuous growth of their population would inevitably overwhelm their worlds in less than twenty years and suggestions of returning to population control methods such as forced sterilization and Geronticide was received reluctantly at best and outright denial at worst due to fears that another Kig-Yar War might leave them short on numbers to fight.

Finally after a full month of discussion, it was decided by the High Minister and the Parliament that the next relay would be opened but expansion will be slowed down.

A decision that would once again bring the Unggoy to war.

* * *

Codex: Kapre Battlesuits

 _First deployed during the push to Eayn, the Kapre Battlesuits are single pilot mecha piloted by the Unggoy. This mech stands at around fifteen feet, the pilot is protected by a polycrystalline glass in a canopy that allows superb protection without sacrificing tactical awareness and heavy armor throughout the frame._

 _The Kapre's Primary weapon is a mass accelerator cannon fixed on its right arm and a grappling claw on the left, two machine guns in a 180 degree turrets are mounted in the shoulders and an underbarrel missile pod that sprays rockets in a wide area. It also has smoke launchers that can be activated to distract the enemy and allows the Kapre to make an escape for repairs, these attributes make an extremely dangerous combatant that promises heavy loss when fought, and very hard to kill in firefights._

 _However, in addition to its lack of mobility, the Kapre is expensive to make and its canopy design makes the pilot vulnerable to being kiiled and worse, being hijacked and turned against its own allies._

* * *

Codex: UnggoyStrikecraft

 _The use of strikecraft is a familiar concept to the Citadel Navies, from the graceful AsariMonoskopos, highly advanced SalarianKerahime to the near ubiquitous TurianMerkhuri and primitive BatarianSharad Fighters. Strikecraft were used in two roles, first is defense, large squadrons of fightercraft protect starships from torpedo fire and boarding craft. Second is ground support, where enemy strongholds are bombed and enemy ground forces are destroyed to pave the way for ground troops. Fighter duels are rare and most are against Terminus pirates who were able to acquire decommissioned strikecraft from shipyards._

 _The arrival of theUnggoy Navy changed how most militaries see strikecraft, with the offensive use of them during the Relay 314 Incident (known as the Relay War by the Unggoy) that caused horrendous casualties on the attacking force when the Commonwealth fleet counter attacked. After the cessation of the hostilities and the joining of the Commonwealth to the Citadel Council, military strategists began breaking down the tactics that was the key in Unggoy Victory as well as the type of Strikecraft used by their fleets._

 _There are a few reasons for the Unggoy Navy's massivedeployment of its Strikecraft, the doctrine was similarly born out of the Necessity of the Kig-Yar Wars like Battle Riders and with a massive surplus of population and steady stream of replacement thanks to the Neural Biology of Unggoy which shortens training time as well as a huge industrial base and streamlined designs made for mass production. These are the reasons why despite the use of such expendable aircraft in war, the Unggoy are capable of absorbing losses. Such was their belief in their doctrine that nearly 3% of their entire GDP is spent on research and production of strikecraft._

 _Currently, five types of Strikecraft are used, with nearly six million in service and expanding, and all of them forms the Striker Arm of the Unggoy Naval Force._

 _The first is the **Tiktik Light Fighter,** fast, maneuverable, moderately armed with two mass accelerators as well as a ventral torpedo rack and with a long operating time. It is the most common fighter deployed and the only one that has no eezo core, instead, its thrusters are powered by Hydrogen Engines and are piloted by rookies freshly graduated from the numerous flight schools in Unggoy Space. Despite having no element zero core, it is blindingly fast and capable of rapid turns. All these comes at the cost of armor, when the enemy manages to bypass the kinetic barrier, one shot is all takes to destroy it. The Tiktik is the most produced fighter class by the Unggoy, with tens of thousands churned out every year and is commonly sent as the first wave of fighters to soften up defense squadrons for other heavier strikecraft while having enough firepower against frigates (and more cynically, to overheat ship-borne GARDIAN defenses and empty anti-fighter missiles)._

 _Second is the **WakwakMedium Fighter** , a well-armed and well-protected fighter designed to carry out strikes against enemy ships. Armed with ten disruptor torpedoes and dual mass accelerators, it is capable of destroying enemy frigates in squadrons while being maneuverable enough for dogfighting thanks to the eezo core proportioned to its size giving it a well-balanced performance of speed, agility, toughness and weaponry. Commonly piloted by Unggoy with piloting time of a year or higher, they are the middle class of the Unggoy Fighter Corps, bloodied but not aces. _

_The third and the most expensive but highly capable interceptor, the **Sarimanok** is reserved for the elite of the Unggoy Fighter Corps, with every pilot having over a thousand missions each, possessing highly advanced sensors, an oversized element zero core, VI targeting system, a rotary 25mm mass accelerator and finally a single Infrared Laser Cannon similar to the one mounted on GARDIAN PD Grids. It was conceived as an interceptor, although it can be armed with anti-ship weapons such as disruptor torpedoes, the Sarimanok is an interceptor at heart and is usually equipped with anti-fighter missiles. Created during the era where the Turians and Salarians were beginning to make their own Carriers and expanding their fighter arms as well as a counter to the feared Asari Fighters, the Sarimanok is the second most expensive fighter producedafter the Monoskopos while its weaponry surpasses the Asari fighter (though not as tough as the Monoskopos is protected by Silaris Armor)._

 _The fourth is the **Mananaggal Bomber** , a large strikecraftnamed after a demon in Unggoy Mythology that can remove its lower half in order to fly, it carries up to a thousand missiles, all of which are attached on hardpoints outside the bomber and six one megaton nuclear warheads on a retractable bomb bay. Most of these missiles are used to soften up the Kinetic Barrier, as nearly all of them are chemical based explosives to be produced cheaply and not as powerful or destructive as disruptor torpedoes, but available in greater numbers. Like its namesake, the whole craft is modular, its empty weapon bays, damaged parts and hardpoints can simply be removed and new armed ones can be installed within minutes, allowing a heavily damaged Mananaggal get back on the fight within less than 5 minutes and as if brand new to boot. They are relatively fast and are found usually alongside escorting Wakwaks while attacking Frigates and Cruisers._

 _The last is the **Mangkukulam Bomber,** unlike the Mananaggal, the Mangkukulam is purpose built to destroy ships. Armed with 100 Warp bombs, their armaments allow them to take down Capital Ships in sufficient numbers. It possesses very thick armor, a square like shape, large engine thrusters and a big eezo core that makes it very fast. Despite this, they oftenly go as the last wave of a Strikecraft assault, when enemy squadrons were thinned and GARDIAN PD is either disabled or overheated from swatting light and cheaper fighters. Their primary targets are in order, Dreadnoughts, Battlecruisers, Cruisers and finally Frigates. _

_The appearance of this new and innovative use of an old weapon forced the Citadel Militaries to find ways to counteract the Unggoy Fighter Swarms in the event of conflict against the Commonwealth._

 _The Hierarchy increased the size of their Fighter Corps, and began the development of a dedicated interceptor and heavy fighters against large squadrons. The Salarians copied the idea of the Unggoy's interceptor frigate rider and added FTL Capability as well as replacing the UV Laser Grid with X-ray Lasers as well as improving their Kerahime by adding improved stealth systems and better anti-air missiles. The Asari simply thickened the Silaris Armor on their Monoskopos Fighters and refurbished their Aramali Interceptor, long mothballed due to overspecialization and was redeployed although their Fighter arm still remain small due to lack of Asari Interest and horrendous rate of attrition._


	6. Relay War

A week after the verdict was dropped, the Explorer ship _Galugad_ made its way to the Sianse System to begin preparations for opening the Mass Relay, accompanied by a flotilla of thirty ships, led by the Cruiser USV _Kalasag,_ the Explorer began inputting the codes necessary to open the relay while all the ships accompanying goes on full alert while the garrison on Sianse is advised to do the same.

Five minutes later, the Relay has been successfully activated. The _Galugad_ enters the relay and comes out of the other side without any major incidents, until the Captain of the ships detects unknown contacts in the system.

At the same time, the Turian patrol fleet led by Captain Solirus Vakarian was refueling on the system when the report of a previously dormant relay, Relay 314 was activating, suspecting of pirates trying to activate the relay, they immediately headed towards the location.

Upon arriving, the flotilla discovered a ship that recently entered the system, searching their databases for the identity of the interlopers. When the VI reported that there were no matches, he quickly realized that this was first contact situation and ordered the other fleets to power down their weapons, despite regulations stating that in the event of a violation, the offending ship is to be destroyed.

The fleet obeyed, with the exception of one Captain Joram Tallid of the Frigate _Impera's Dagger_ , described as a hotheaded glory seeker who sought the quickest way to promotion, he disobeyed Vakarian and opened fire, narrowly missing the thinly armored ship. The _Galugad_ quickly retreated to the Relay while Tallid followed it, ignoring the orders of his superiors.

Upon arriving on the Sianse System, the _Galugad_ warned the escorts of the situation, that another alien race had made contact through violence and had followed them, the escorts powered their weapons up and waited for the enemy responsible. Three seconds later, the _Impera's Dagger_ exited the relay, and was greeted with ten cruisers and twenty frigates.

Realizing the threat infront of him, Captain Tallid attempted to retreat but his frigate was hit by cruiser fire that disabled the thrusters. As the Unggoy ships readied the final blow, the Patrol Fleet crossed the relay and began trading shots with each other, although the Turians had better ships and scored more hits, a fleet of seven stood no chance against thirty and they were forced to withdraw with the loss of two frigates, one Cruiser destroyed and one heavily damaged against eight Unggoy ships, with three heavily damaged and five destroyed.

In the aftermath, Captain Vakarian ordered Tallid to be detained to the brig and contacted the Hierarchy about the situation. The Hierarchy Command ordered the fleet to standby while the situation is being discussed.

In Palaven, there were discussions on the next course of action, many Primarchs were outraged that some upstart race not only disobeyed a major Citadel law but nearly destroyed a patrol fleet for simply reinforcing it, while cooler heads argued that not only the engagement was the result of a hot-headed maverick as Captain Vakarian was on his way to making peaceful contact, but also said species had no knowledge of said law.

To quell the argument, a vote was ordered on whether or not the Hierarchy would send a pacification fleet against this alien species or contact them to explain the situation.

Of the sixty Primarchs, fifty-two voted for subjugation, six voted for contact and two abstained. With this, the 32nd Assault Fleet was prepared, led by Admiral Septimus Oraka while the Ground Assault Units will be led by General Desolas Arterius, a scion of the Arterius Family, known for producing legendary strategists and generals and their extremely high cachet in the meritocratical Turian Society.

(It is later theorized by many military and political analysts that the true reason for this action is to gain a new client race to replace the dissatisfied Volus to prevent the Turian economic collapse should this inevitable separation happened, with a new Client Race with primitive Technology and a desire to buy more advanced Turian Goods, a major boost in Turian Economy and a short victorious war would stabilize the Hierarchy)

On the Unggoy side, the attack on the _Galugad_ brought panic to the Unggoy High Command and the Parliament. Due to the youth of the Colony and the lack of infrastructure to support a fleet, the one meant to guard Sianse, the Eighth Fleet was not yet in full combat ready. Therefore, the responsibility to liberate Sianse lies in the Fifth Fleet should it be invaded, although it would take a week for them to arrive to the System.

To slow down the invasion, additional patrol flotillas were removed from least important worlds and added to the provisional defense fleet. The majority of them were Cruisers and Frigates, with a few Cruiser Carriers and FTL Tugs. Bolstering the defense fleet to eighty ships in addition to defense stations all over the planet and GTS Cannons from the planet, the Unggoy also began recruiting militia from the population and arming them with older weapons, despite the reproduction ban in the colony, it was still one with a massive population due to its nature as a methane based world. Nearly thirty million of the 968 million have joined while the rest hid in the underground cave system stretching throughout the planet.

Three days after the original engagement, the 32nd Assault Fleet arrived at Relay 314 and ordered the patrol fleet to retreat. Afterwards, the Fleet entered the Relay into Unggoy space and was greeted by the guarding fleet. The Turians outnumbered the Unggoy Fleet three to one in all kinds of ships, with a large margin in Cruisers.

The Turians unleashed the first salvo, which destroyed thirteen Frigates and eight Cruisers. The defending fleet fired back while strikecraft from the Tugs and Carriers flew into the unprepared Turian Fleet. With only minimal fighter support and average GARDIAN PD's. The 800 deployed strikecraft (600 Tiktiks, 150 Wakwaks, 50 Manananggals ) wreaked havoc upon the Turian Fleet, with dozens upon dozens disabled or outright destroyed by swarms while they hopelessly swatted the offending fighters.

However, all was not lost, the Turians still had much better ships and larger numbers, despite taking nearly 55 disabled and 35 completely destroyed. They were successful in routing the Unggoy fleet, with the Carriers and FTL tugs exiting the system while the Cruisers, battleriders and frigates fought to the last.

Overall, the Unggoy fleet lost sixty nine ships at the Sianse System, with only eight Cruiser Carriers and Three FTL Tugs escaped the battlefield, forcing them to leave their fighters behind. Meanwhile, the total loss of the 32nd assault fleet is around 90 ships, combined disabled and destroyed.

Nonetheless, the Turian's path to Sianse is now bared open, the only things that stand in their way are the planetary cannons and the six defense stations. As they neared the range, the stations opened fire and managed to cripple two Cruisers before the Dreadnought _Gloriana_ destroyed the station. This pattern repeated until the only ones that was left were the Planetary Cannons which amazingly held fire.

However, the invasion was garnering more problems than imagined, the atmosphere of Sianse is predominantly Methane, requiring fully sealed environmental armor for all infantry when fighting, a bad combination as a single puncture, no matter how light would bring death to the Turians if not treated right away.

After securing the orbit of Sianse, the Turians began landing their forces outside the city, immediately they were greeted by hundreds of fighters, with their strikecraft depleted due to the previous battle against the fleet. Landings were bereft of air cover with the exception of Gunships and landing zones heavily protected by Anti-Air Cannons were the only place to deploy troops from.

On the ground, the fighting was intense, the Turians were outnumbered three to one by the Unggoy Militia, while orbital strikes were called oftenly, the low visibility from orbit made most fire inaccurate and forcing them to rely on local support such as artillery and air support.

Arriving on the ground to coordinate his Forces, General Arterius ordered the capture of the planet's Spaceport to ensure the flow of reinforcements. Utilizing the famous 'Havocs' of the 26th Legion, he ordered an assault to the spaceport using a mix of infantry and heavy vehicles as a cover. While distracted from the assault outside, the Havoc's used their jumpjets to enter from behind the main Unggoy defense line and proceeded to fire upon the surprised defenders who died realizing they were surrounded.

Although a few fought to the last, the majority panicked as they were simply militia who volunteered and were now completely outnumbered, a few raised their arms and started running from all directions and were shot down. Some however, instead armed their grenades and ran to the enemy, withstanding fire long enough to take a few Turians with them. The Havocs in particular took heavy casualties from these attacks, nearly half of the force that were sent is now dead.

Nonetheless, the spaceport was taken with only light casualties and reinforcements now poured into the planet at a rapid pace, it became the new command center with dozens of dropships unloading every hour. The building was heavily fortified, with anti-aircraft missile launchers and guns to fend of air attacks.

With a much larger force on the ground, the Turians began gaining ground despite the intense opposition. Although the Hierarchy currently has more soldiers on the ground and numerous armored vehicles, the Unggoy had aerial supremacy, bombing and strafing on armored columns, platoons and supply depots. Rather than risk their gunships or call upon inaccurate bombardment. Two Frigates descended onto the planet to provide support, using missile saturation upon enemy positions and giving protection to advancing Turian forces from aerial harassment.

A day after the beginning of the invasion, the Turians had finally reached Baqap City, Sianse's capital. However, it was devoid of resistance, with only a few stragglers and occasional sniper fire. The City was left largely intact, with most of the infrastructure undamaged although many were sabotaged to prevent use.

In the aftermath of this 'victory', General Arterius ordered that the flag of the Hierarchy and all the units that are fighting be put above the City Hall as commendation of their victory and sacrifice. He ordered the demands of surrender to the Unggoy be broadcasted all over the planet with promises of good treatment.

It is unknown what the Unggoy thought of this demands, though from the following events, this was ignored.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the long wait, my connection was down and it took time to get fixed but to make it up to you, I posted two chapters today. Hope you did not lose interest to Balaho Effect_


	7. Relay War II

Despite the enormous casualties suffered by the militia during the fighting and the loss of both the spaceport as well as the Capital City, the Unggoy were far from defeated. The Unggoy Matriarch, Ralan ni Galare and the Defense Commander, General Wilams knew that they would not be able to defend the Capital City and the spaceport.

Instead, it was decided that a defending force be left in the station, as the invaders will surely try to take it intact while the city will be scarcely defended to give the impression that they have tuck their tail and make the enemy overconfident while waiting for the right time to counter-attack. In the aftermath of the Capital's capture, all major offensives, with the exception of sporadic yet numerous raids designed more to keep the enemy busy and keep them uninformed of the true plan rather than to actually cause damage.

With their imminent victory, the Turians began their final assault towards the final enemy stronghold, a Valley known as Lambak, located ninety miles south of the city. Obtain through quick interrogation from captured prisoners, the Turians didn't even need torture or other such methods as the prisoners quickly tattled all their knowledge.

With nearly 50,000 troops, 500 armored vehicles, a hundred of their remaining fighters and five dozen SKYTALON Battlesuits, they headed towards the Lambak Valley in order to flush out the remaining Unggoy and secure the planet. This force was barely contested, with occasional ambushes and battles between scouts and rear guard units. All in all, it was as General Arterius predicted, the enemy is preparing a last stand which further emboldened the already overconfident Turians.

Nearing nightfall, the Vanguard of the Turian Ground Force ran headlong into the first line of Unggoy defenses. Despite orbital bombardments, the Turians found it hard to completely root out dug-in positions without casualties. This tenacious defense is combined with heavy artillery coming from underground positions and small scale attacks all around the line. The arrival of the main Turian force allowed them to expand faster, with SKYTALON Battlesuits invaluable due to their speed and heavy armor that resisted Unggoy gunfire and disabled their positions with minimal losses.

While the Turians fought in a brutal war on the front, they did not notice the large number of camouflaged tunnel passes behind their line of advance, as the Turians pushed deeper into the Unggoy line of defense, so did General Wilams began his masterstroke.

During midnight, where Sianse's atmosphere is at its thickest, the main Unggoy force exited the tunnels and began engaging the resting Turians from their rear, trapped between the Unggoy dug-in positions and the largest concentration of enemy forces, the soldiers of the Hierarchy stood. Arrayed against them are nearly 2 million Unggoy Infantry, 300 Armored Vehicles and 23 Kapre-class Battlesuits.

The battle was fierce as it was chaotic, the Turians were unable to call for orbital support due to fears of friendly fire and had no choice but to fight with what they got, at the same time, the remaining fighters were deployed in an all-out assault against the Frigates to prevent them from giving fire support for the invaders.

Although outnumbered, the Turians still had a qualitative edge, they had much better armor and weapons, more vehicles and battlesuits as well as a defensible position that allowed them to inflict substantial casualties upon the Unggoy.

However, they forgot that the Unggoy were fighting for their home, many of them strapped bombs onto themselves and blew up vehicles, they swarmed positions, caring little for those lost and continued advancing until the Turian guns overheated, until the only remaining way for them to fight is with omni-bayonets. General Arterius is said to have died, surrounded by a hundred Unggoy corpses, with a Sunfire pistol in one hand and an omni-axe in another.

Gunships and dropships rushed to the front, saving whoever they can while firing every bit of ammunition to hold off the Unggoy tide, the SKYTALON suits volunteered to hold them back while the wounded were evacuated, using hit and run attacks to wipe out whole platoons, when they ran out of weapons, they switched to omni-claws and slashed thousands of Unggoy Infantry to death until they were overrun and blown up by suicide squads.

With the defeat of the main ground force, Admiral Oraka ordered a retreat of all units on the ground, the garrison forces, logistics officers and medical units boarded the dropships and a blockade was ordered around the planet. As Sianse was not a garden world in their eyes, the Turians had no qualms and bombarded the Valley, killing tens of thousands of Unggoy Soldiers as they retreated back underground to escape the murderous rain from orbit.

However, this gestures did not save the invasion.

The Fifth Fleet, led by Admiral Kastass et Drestser, was the premier mobile fleet of the Commonwealth, possessing the largest collection of Fleet Carriers in addition to three dreadnoughts and 400 hundred ships of differing sizes. The Admiral's flagship, the _Bakunawa-_ class Fleet Carrier _Amihan,_ serves as the flagship of the fleet and where he commands during battle. Bolstered by additional flotilla of 60 Frigates and 35 Cruisers, this force is now aimed towards liberating Sianse and should it grow into all-out war, to act as the tip of the spear towards the mysterious aliens that attacked one of their worlds.

For a whole week, they sped towards the embattled planet, stopping only to gather additional supplies or reinforcements and only for less than six hours. The fleet grew larger as additional flotillas joined the liberation fleet, bolstering their ranks and adding strength towards the enemy fleet.

As the 32nd Assault Fleet was still reeling from the loss of their ground force, the Relay activated, nearly 600 ships vomited into the system, reversing the situation of the original battle.

Admiral Oraka wasted no time and readied his ships into formation, studying the tactics of the previous battle, he positioned his forces accordingly, with two frigates per Cruiser to ward off strikecraft that had proven so deadly in the previous confrontation.

The Unggoy fifth fleet started the battle by putting fighters and bombers out of the fleet, nearly five thousand strikecraft, the majority light fighters and the rest a mixture of Medium fighters and bombers, came out from one hundred ships while the remaining ships fired ranging shots towards the fleet.

The strikecraft accelerated towards the Turian Fleet, with the newly graduated pilots and Tiktiks leading the charge while the much more important bombers and medium fightesr a few thousand kilometers behind. The Turians fired what few anti-fighter missiles they had, barely denting their numbers, now within range, the Tiktiks fired their torpedoes upon the masses of ships.

Disabling dozens, they surrounded their enemy, using their mass accelerators as to target GARDIAN Arrays and launching torpedoes in more vulnerable areas, crippling more ships. Meanwhile, the other ships engaged the fleet, firing sporadically to avoid hitting the masses of fighters they had deployed, while pinning down the remaining Capital Ships.

As the fleets dueled, the Unggoy clearly held the upper hand, the Turian fleet was overheating, needing to discharge their drives while their heat levels are almost critical and their dissipation systems unable to keep up. It was not one-sided however, dozens of frigates and Cruisers were disabled, with a few outright destroyed while fighters were being swatted at a rapid rate, the bombers had now arrived and were ravaging the Turian Fleet, as GARDIAN Arrays melted and all sorts of anti-fighter defense (already minimal) was exhausted. When the bombers struck, many Turian ships were torn apart. The _Gloriana_ itself was nearly destroyed, only due to a brave pilot ramming the _Mangkukulam_ Bomber did the _Gloriana_ was saved. But the fleet was now horribly decimated, the smaller ships now torn wrecks while the larger ones were venting atmosphere.

Reluctantly, Admiral Oraka ordered the retreat of his battered fleet, with only less than sixty ships out of 250 to make it out alive of the system, with the rest either disabled or fighting to the last.

On the Unggoy side, nearly one thousand strikecraft was lost, the majority of which are light fighters with less than a hundred of the bombers and medium fighters.

Immediately, the Unggoy dropped forces into the planet and relieved the garrison, as there were no Turians remained on the planet it was declared secure in less than six hours, and engineering teams, medical personnel and food shipments went down to the tired and shaken populace.

Admiral Dretser reported the Liberation of Sianse to high command, which caused celebrations throughout the Commonwealth, on the Parliament, there was a sign of both relief and fear, relief as their colony was taken back and fear that another war had come. Nonetheless, the Government and the military took it in stride, preparing long shutdown factories to produce munitions and vehicles while petitions for drafting was made, although still debated on what extent.

On the Citadel, the return of the battered 32nd Assault Fleet brought panic to the masses, the News Channels blared the reports on this mysterious incident and the loss of so many ships had put the Hierarchy on high alert.

For obvious reasons, this forced an emergency session to find out what happened to the fleet and decide the next course of action. Councilor Tevos Enari and Jollario Bau of the Asari Republics and Salarian Union respectively, questioned Martellus Garask of the Turian Hierarchy regarding the situation, although ordered to keep quiet by Palaven, the pressure of the others forced him to tell everything about the situation. Although furious, the Asari Councilor managed to calmly order the Hierarchy to stand down and to send a diplomatic party in hopes of peacefully resolving the situation while ordering the Citadel to go into high alert in case the aliens choose to attack in retaliation.

To lead the delegation, Matriarch Inala, a friend of Councilor Tevos was chosen to lead while the Salarians sent one of the own, Pavil Veroth alongside a group of security personnel (most likely STG) while the Turians did not send any ambassadors. Instead, Captain Vakarian was ordered to represent the Hierarchy as he had encountered the Unggoy before.

Aboard the Athame-class Dreadnought _Resplendent Destiny,_ they headed into Relay 314 to meet with the guarding fleet. Ordered not to cross the relay, the guarding Turian Fleet stayed behind the relay as the diplomatic team crossed the relay towards the Sianse System.

On the other side, sensors warned the activation of the Relay, and all ships immediately went on high alert, weapons were powered up and fighters came out of their hangars loaded with torpedoes. Patrols throughout the system were recalled and the forces on the ground were moving o the tunnels with the civilians.

From the relay came a massive two-kilometer dreadnought, unlike the somewhat blocky Turian designs, the ship had a very graceful design. A hoop with four protruding wings, dark colored hull and twin main guns is slowly approaching Sianse.

Despite feeling hopeless of their chances against the new ship, Admiral Dretser did not order the retreat, not with millions of people and thousands of their personnel inside the planet. However, instead of firing, the ship sent a message, telling they wish to put a peaceful end to the conflict between them and the Turians. Admiral Dretser accepted although the ships remained at combat ready, a shuttle from the Dreadnought flew into the _Amihan_ , where they were greeted by a security team and lead into the ship's conference room where Admiral Dretser and General Wilams is waiting to meet them.

Upon entering the room, Matriarch Inala is surprised upon discovering that the General not only recognized her race, but spoke Thessian due to his experience in being melded by a rescued Asari slave seventeen years ago at Eiza. Emboldened by this, the Matriarch explained the reason for the attack and offered the sincerest apologies for the deaths of thousands of their people and an offer to join the Citadel Council as an associate species and finally, reparations for the extensive damages on Sianse.

Although furious that tens of thousands of their people died due to a law they did not even know existed, the Admiral contacted the High Minister and the Parliament regarding the next course of action. Many in the Parliament wished to continue the war, to make the so called 'Peacekeepers of the Galaxy' pay for the deaths of tens of thousands of their soldiers, however, most were afraid as it had barely been two decades since the Kig-Yar War, the ships currently under construction is not ready yet, and they barely have any knowledge on their enemies and this offer of peace is their chance to know more about them and time to prepare for revenge.

In the end, it was decided that the Unggoy would join the Council, not to open their hearts and arms to the galactic community but to bide their time, to research newer and better weapons, to find allies and trade for enough resources to build a larger military.

To prepare for the day that they can claim vengeance.


	8. Unity

Although the Commonwealth joined the Citadel and obtained peace as well as payment from the damages the Turians did, it would not be an easy road for them. The discovery that the Batarians, the race that assisted the Kig-Yar and currently holds millions of their people were also a member of the Citadel brought fury from the lowest to the highest part of Unggoy Society, with many believing that the Council Races profited from the suffering of their people. Torn between declaring war against the Batarians so soon after the Relay War and biding their time, they chose the latter, but the Hegemony would be the first to feel their wrath when the time comes.

With the joining of the Unggoy to mainstream galactic society the tension finally died down, with the exception of the Turians, who remain bitter due to losing a whole fleet and forcing to pay reparations to the Unggoy. The newcomers began courting for allies and friends, particularly the Volus, the Hierarchy's Client Race.

Despite the entrance of a new race, the focus of the galaxy was the upcoming elections in Asari Republics, with the announced retirement of Uressa T'Shora as High Matriarch, there was significant amount of jockeying favors and acquiring influence among the Matriarchy for the Highest Post. However, only two candidates are showing significant promise in the coming elections, Matriarch Thana T'Armal and Matriarch Benezia T'soni.

Many political observers in the Galaxy observe as the election of either Matriarch would bring significant change in Asari Politics and their role in the galaxy.

Matriarch T'Armal advocated a much more militant stance, to increase the number of ships in their possession, maximize their number of Dreadnoughts as stated in the Treaty of Farixen and create a 'Republican Guard' which would act as part-militia and part-regular army to supplement the famed Asari Commandoes in defense.

This would reduce the dependency the Republics have on Turians in matters of defense a regain a vast amount of respect for their people, in addition to improving the stand of which most of the galaxy sees the Asari.

While most Asari (Including Matriarch Aethyta, Lady Benezia's Former Husband) who suggested this course of action in the past was ignored at best and discredited at worst, the significant wealth of political clout, influence and credits she possess means that most critics found themselves ridiculed, forgotten or bribed in short order. As the owner of the Armali Council, seven of the thirteen shipyards above Thessia and a significant shareholder of Serrice Council stocks mean that she owns a major percentage of Asari arms making capability and therefore would profit immensely from the build-up.

Matriarch Benezia advocated greater Asari influence in galactic politics, using their enormous hold on the galactic economy and technological advantage to bend the galaxy to their will, building alliances and uniting races under the guidance of the Asari Race, this philosophy made her popular amongst the Asari but reviled by most other races.

This patronizing attitude won her few friends amongst other galactic nations, to the point that a large percentage of the galaxy is throwing their support for T'Armal, despite the fact that her victory foreshadows a much more militant and potentially aggressive Republics.

While the Citadel focused on the elections, the Unggoy began launching anti-pirate operations on the Attican Traverse within a year of their joining. With a new purpose for the military they had spent sixteen years building and devoted nearly a tenth of their annual budget, they struck upon pirate enclaves in large fleets.

While the Turians patrolled the borders, the Unggoy ravaged bases, clearing vast amounts of pirate groups that terrorized Outer Citadel Space for decades if not centuries. In less than six months, the number of pirate attacks fell by 45% and gave reprieve to the Turian Navy who is in danger of being overstretched.

The fighting on these bases were some of the most brutal in recent Citadel History, the Unggoy showed no mercy upon dealing with pirates. Attacking in large numbers, they swarmed even the most prepared fortifications with both numerical superiority and heavy firepower.

They accepted no surrender and shot even those who laid down their weapons, (although they did this to all pirates regardless of race, it was Batarian Pirates who they showed exceptional brutality, more than one was devoured alive by large group of Unggoy Soldiers despite being either disabled or surrendered), the only survivors of these brutal assaults were slaves who had the peculiar feeling of both being grateful and traumatized by their rescuers.

Although the rate of suppression was very rapid, the price were immense casualties for the Unggoy with most battles having death rates of thousands, sometimes the kill/death ratio was in favor of the pirates but the Unggoy had the capability to absorb such losses.

The reaction of the other races to these offensives were mixed, the rescue of countless slaves and the decrease of pirate attacks had many races grateful to the Unggoy, but their utter disregard for life, theirs and their enemies made people wary about them, with some already comparing them to the brutality of the Krogan.

The Council on the other hand, was much more disapproving, while the Unggoy offensives did weaken Piracy in the Traverse, it also stirred the Terminus Systems. The STG reported that the sheer speed of the Unggoy offensives had made many warlords and pirates in the Terminus wary, and were reported to be fortifying their bases and buying up additional Mercenaries for security purposes.

Fearing the response of the lawless space and numerous casualties that would result from this event, they called upon the Unggoy Ambassador, Tuderde de Talal, and ordered him and the Commonwealth Navy to cease anti-piracy operations immediately.

The ambassador defended the police actions with vigor, but reluctantly complied and told that the Unggoy would no longer attack, but they would retaliate in case of an assault on their worlds. However when Councilor Tevos, supported by Councilor Martellus, suggested that the Unggoy should reduce their military spending and demilitarize a large percentage of their forces, these lines were uttered.

' _I Demand a Logical Explanation and an Acceptable Reason!' the shrill voice of AmbassadorTuderde replied, 'We have broken none of your laws, not since that Putang Inang (Old Unggish Curse whose meaning was not input in translator databases) Relay Law that we did not even know about! And now this!? After we free your people, destroy the pirates that scourged your worlds, you reward our sacrifice by demanding that we stand down and remove our armies that keep us safe and depend on the race that butchered tens of thousands of people to protect us? Are you mad?'_

Afterwards, the Unggoy ambassador walked out of the Council furiously. In the end, the Asari passed some economic sanctions although the effect is minimal, as the Unggoy Economy is not much intertwined with the other Citadel Races due to their young membership.

Although tensions remained high between both nations, some Turian admirals expressed approvals for the Unggoy offensives, their efforts in minimizing collateral damages and willingness to sacrifice lives to permanently destroy threats.

As one of her final actions as the Asari Leader, High Matriarch T'Shora visited Balaho and personally talked with the Unggoy Leaders and thanked them for saving her people. This did much to reduce tensions between both nations and Unggoy Leaders promises to fight for peace and never raise arms against the Republic and the Asari Race. Matriarch T'Armal also praised the Unggoy for standing up to their right to defend themselves and wished them well in their anti-pirate endeavors.

Batarian reactions meanwhile, were less than positive, the destruction of numerous pirate bases where they buy the majority of slaves from Citadel Space (most commonly Asari) and the loss of highly experienced pirate crews from several High Caste Families made them angry. But showing anger over their fates would reveal their involvement on the raids.

They instead focused on the brutality of the Unggoy upon Batarian Pirates, allowing them to get away with criticism without tipping the Council Races of their involvement in the raids. With the Unggoy now held back by the Council, the Batarians began planning to launch raids to slowly weaken the Commonwealth through attrition and for a future invasion to subjugate them and be put in their place like their brethren, as workers and slaves for the Hegemony.

In the days before the Asari Elections, the atmosphere in Thessia and all of the Republics is slowly being divided, between the supporters of Thana T'Armal and Benezia T'soni. Although there were other candidates, most political observers see that only these two candidates actually has a chance of winning.

The Republics and the Galaxy waits with baited breath, as the most intense Asari Elections in recent memory begins. The votes first counted were from Thessia, favoring T'soni over T'Armal. The inner colonies were next, favoring the latter in number of votes. As more and more votes came from all over the Republics, the fight is becoming tighter, with margins between candidates number no more than hundreds of thousands of votes.

When the votes from the outer colonies came in, the tide turned slowly in favor of Matriarch Thana until at last, where she outnumbered Matriarch Benezia by eighteen million. This victory is the narrowest in Asari Elections, with the former record being six hundred million apart.

With Thana T'Armal now at the helm of the Republic, the role of the Asari and their impact in galactic policy will never be the same.


	9. AN: It Ends

**All right, It would be very painful to say this, but the two updates will be the last ones. Due to my lack of knowledge in the Halo mythology, I could no longer complete the story. For all those who have read Balaho Effect from its beginnings, I deeply apologize for this.** **Because I can no longer make chapters, I will simply be putting the ideas that I originally had for the story.** **1\. Races such as Lekgolo (Hunters), Jiralhanae (Brutes), Yanme (Drones) will act as Terminus Species, being superpowers in the Terminus Systems alongside Aria and Omega.** **2\. The Forerunners escaped from the Halo Universe through a Slipspace into the ME verse and encountered the reapers 40,000 years ago, just recently after they destroyed the Protheans, the Reapers attack the Forerunners, but were completely annihilated to the last with the exception of a few who hopes to rebuild the Reapers.** **3\. The Citadel is at a cold war with the Sangheili Empire, a powerful stellar nation whose home planet Sangehilios is dotted with Prothean Technology and relics and is rapidly growing, the Empire refuses to join the Citadel and share technology which results in tensions.** **4\. The San'Shayuum leads the Covenant, a large faction of indoctrinated Aliens due to Reaper artifacts that wages war to acquire as many species for convert into reapers. the San'Shayuum believe that by giving them tributes, they will become 'gods' (read: Reapers).** **5\. The Batarians will attack the Unggoy Colony of Mindoro (Balaho Effect's version of Mindoir) which would lead to all out war between the Commonwealth and the Hegemony.** **I do hope that if anyone wants to continue this story, these guidelines may help you in the future**


End file.
